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Protest by villagers forces Rlys to build metalled road
Nakodar, September 13
A huge protest was witnessed by the Mouwal villagers on the same railway track where the collision between a DMU train and a school van took place at an unmanned railway crossing yesterday. Three minor children were killed.
5 yrs on, kin of mishap victims await relief

Villagers remove the damaged school van from the railway track at Mouwal village in Nakodar
Villagers remove the damaged school van from the railway track at Mouwal village in Nakodar on Tuesday.

Residents flay admn apathy
Jalandhar, September 13
Unbearable loss of innocent lives lost in 'yet another' accident yesterday saw hundreds take to the streets to lodge their protest against what is being perceived as a result of years of carelessness by the administration.

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	Protest by villagers forces Rlys to build metalled road Death at unmanned crossing: Govt forced to hike compensation Nikhil Bhardwaj Our Correspondent Nakodar, September 13 A huge protest was witnessed by the Mouwal villagers on the same railway track where the collision between a DMU train and a school van took place at an unmanned railway crossing yesterday. Three minor children were killed. Hundreds of villagers today sat on a dharna and raised anti-Railways and anti-government slogans, demanding the immediate repair of the road alongside the unmanned railway track and increasing the amount of compensation for the families of the deceased children. Protesters also placed barriers on the railway line as a result of which railway traffic was halted the entire day. “To wipe out the chances of the recurrence of such accidents in future, we also seek the immediate deployment of railway employees to ease the traffic at this unmanned railway track,” said the villagers. They said that if their demands were not met, they would not let the railway traffic move on. Railway officials present on the spot agreed to the villagers’ demands and promised them that from tomorrow onwards, they would start the work to lay the pucca road on both sides of the track and within few days, work would be completed. Because the only reason for yesterday's accident was the slippery road alongside the track. SDM Nakodar Sumit Kumar confirmed that railway officials had also agreed to deploy two guards to supervise the traffic at this unmanned railway crossing and within three to four months, permanent manned railway crossing would be installed. He said government will increase the relief amount, “Now families of the deceased will get 1.75 lakh and for those who seriously injured will get Rs 60,000 earlier the amount was one lakh and Rs 50,000 respectively”. DC, Jalandhar, Priyank Bharti visited the hospital and announced Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia grant for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 as aid for the families of the injured. 5 yrs on, kin of mishap victims await relief Nakodar, September 13 The mishap at an unmanned railway crossing here yesterday that left three school kids dead has revived the memory of the parents who lost their children in a similar manner five years ago. On November 23, 2006, three girls of PTM Arya College in Nurmahal were killed when their college van was hit by the Dhanwad Express at an unmanned railway crossing near Gumtali village in Nurmahal. But five years later, the victim families still await relief that the state government announced then. Amarjit Singh Samra, the then Cooperative Minister in the Congress-led state government, had announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for the families who lost their daughters, Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured and Rs 10,000 for those who sustained minor injuries.
	Killer Stretch Residents flay admn apathy Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 13 Unbearable loss of innocent lives lost in 'yet another' accident yesterday saw hundreds take to the streets to lodge their protest against what is being perceived as a result of years of carelessness by the administration. Residents of Rama Mandi and surrounding areas, where the accident that took place yesterday at the Rama Mandi crossing killing Babita, a college student, is by now an established killer stretch of the city. Hundreds of students and residents today expressed their ire at the way the administration has been handling things so far. While about seven, eight deaths have taken place in the area so far, countless accidents have occurred on the stretch in the past two years. Hundreds students of the British Olivia Senior Secondary School, Rama Mandi, and residents of Rama Mandi area vented their ire about the tragedy. As many as 40 school students, accompanied by teachers and many parents, submitted a written request to the Additional Deputy Commissioner regarding the deplorable sate of the road. Vijay Maini, director, British Olivia Senior Secondary School, Rama Mandi, said, the students of the school refused to give their exam today and expressed a wish to protest at the Rama Mandi Chowk. "In the absence of DC Priyank Bharti, we submitted our request to the ADC (general) Gurmeet Singh Khera.
	Teachers observe two-period strike Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 13 Normal studies were affected in the non-government affiliated colleges as teachers observed a two-period strike in the city today. On the call of the PCCTU, about 4,000 teachers, working in the non-government affiliated colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh, observed the strike. A protest was also held on the campus of DAV College. As per the decision of the state executive committee of the PCCTU, a two-period strike would also be observed on September 19 and a massive rally would be organised on September 27. State general secretary of the PCCTU Prof H.S. Walia said, “The entire higher education system is going haywire due to the indifferent attitude and direction-less policies of the state government. Consequently, about 50 non-government affiliated colleges are on the verge of closure. The state government often cites paucity of funds as reason for this state of affairs.” He said short-sighted policies of the government responsible for the downtrend. He said the main demands included an enhanced allocation of funds for improving the accessibility and quality of higher education, implementation of pension and gratuity scheme.
	3 held with heroin Pathankot, September 13 The district police nabbed three drug peddlers and seized 750 gm of heroin, worth Rs 5 crore in the international market, from them here today. The SSP, Dr SK Kalia, said following a tip-off the police, led by SP AS Pawar and DSP Naresh Dogra, laid a naka on the Saili road on the Pathankot-Jalandhar-Kangra road. Four persons, riding on two motorcycles, were intercepted at the naka and during search the police seized the heroin, which was kept in a polythene bag. Three of them were arrested, while one managed to escape. The accused were identified as Saif Ali, Mohammad Alam, both residents of Bihar and presently residing at Shahpur Kandi, and Hassan Din of Kathua (J&K). During preliminary interrogation the peddlers revealed that the consignment was to be delivered to someone in the area. The police has registered a case under Sections 22, 61 and 85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act.— OC